Lloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chiefof Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher.Shelter Publications specializes in books on buildingand architecture,as well as health and fitness.Lloyds latest book is Small Homes: The Right Size.For more info, see: www.shelterpub.comLloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher. Shelter Publications specializes in books on building and architecture, as well as health and fitness. Lloyd’s latest book is Small Homes: The Right Size.For more info, see: www.shelterpub.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lloydkahn

The water is SO warm right now. Only one other time in all my time on the Pacific Coast. Especially when sun-warmed water is flowing out of the lagoon. 60, maybe even 65 degrees. We are stylin! Couldn't swim due to rib injury but I just went in the ocean and floated. Such a difference from normal. Oh, you guys that live where the water's warm -- ecstasy. To be able to swim relaxed, no tight wetsuit.
A fisherman caught this little (3'-4') leopard shark. It had never occurred to me how beautiful they are. I mentioned this to a surfer friend who was there and he said, Yeah that's true. It had been hooked in a fin. The fisherman got the hook out and it took off out into the sea. There's just so much going on in the world every day!

Left: salad with cucumbers, parsley from garden, cattail shoots
Salmon are biting. My friend Louie said there were 100s of boats out near Pt. Arena last week. Salmon and halibut are around these waters too. I keep being impressed by our local fishermen, who have to make it out a channel through breaking waves to reach the ocean. Not for the faint hearted; every few years a boat gets dumped. Certainly not like motoring out of a wave-free port. Now that I'm back on the beach a lot, I'm admiring the shore fishermen, especially those going after striped bass. Their gear and techniques, a zen-like skill. Hey with all the rotten news all over the world right now, the ocean right here is healthy; glass half-full…I'm pretty miserable (can I whine?); a bike fall didn't feel so bad until a few days later, I cranked down with a plumbing wrench on a 1-1/4" pipe union, pain like a hot knife in ribs. Shit! Turns out not to be broken rib, but tear in intercostal muscle. Like my friend Paul says about rib injuries, "Please God don't let me sneeze." Puts big dent in my plans to take a skateboard with me to Portland next week…Hey you people who know Portland: I've got an extra day or so, want to shoot photos of barns and farm buildings (my favorite architecture) within a few hours of the city; any tips?…I can't figure out how I never heard of Timi Yuro, the diminutive singer in the '60s with the huge voice; I gotta admit, I'm in love. She was constrained by Liberty Records but even with Nelson-Riddle type strings backing, she was a powerhouse. One only can wish that she'd had Jerry Wexler or Phil Spector arranging for her. The following song is with Phil:What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)(12-'62N)stereo by Yuro, Timi on Grooveshark
She sings a little flat, which has a sweetness. On some songs, a lot of similar phrasing to Etta James."

The Good Life goes on! Couple who spent five years building an eco-home in the country have been allowed to keep it despite not applying for planning permission
Matthew Lepley, 34, and Jules Smith, 54, left London five years ago to build their dream house in the countryside. They decided not to apply for planning permission because the process "uses too much paper and electricity." They used railway sleepers, lorry tyres, and scrap metal to build the house in Beaworthy, Devon, but no power tools. The home has an outdoor compost toilet, no power or running water, and an underground pantry instead of a fridge. The couple were told by Torridge District Council they may have to tear down their home after neighbours' complaints. But now a government planning inspector has ruled that the house may stay because of its eco-credentials. Angry local residents say: "It's disgusting how some people are treated one way and other people treated another way."Click here for complete story and lots of photos.Photo: SWMS.comSent us by Anonymous

Dear Lloyd,
I made a short documentary about a friend of mine who lives on a small 50 year old boat and is one of if not the happiest person in my life. The movie is short but I think honest and hopefully a little inspiring. The movie has been touring film festivals but just yesterday I was able to upload it online and make it available to the world for free.…
Kevin Fraser

I realize this blog has been a bit sparse lately. Mainly because I'm funneling almost all of the building posts to http://www.theshelterblog.com. Also, it's kinda stressful to get something new up each day PLUS I'm starting to work on our new Stretching pocketbook.
Next week I'll be in Oregon doing slide shows and book signings for Tiny Homes on the Move
-Portland - Powell's, 1005 West Burnside Street, Wednesday, July 30, 7:30 PM
-Corvallis - Grass Roots Books, 227 SW 2nd St., Thursday, July 31, 7 PM
-Eugene - University of Oregon, Library Browsing Room, 1501 Kincaid, Friday, Aug. 1, 4 PM. We'll be giving out some mini books.
I'll be posting from Oregon, so things will pick up by next Tuesday (July 29th).

It's raining, not pouring, but hey! It's lovely—highly unusual for us in summer…I finally got our well (for watering garden) going again yesterday. New jet pump, new 80-gallon pressure tank…it's a 15' deep well that we dug with a backhoe in 1980…put 8" pipe with saw kerfs (slits) in middle of hole, filled with rock…1-1/4" pipe goes down inside the 8" pipe…used the soil we dug out to make adobe bricks with a Cinva-Ram, and they form the back wall of our greenhouse…retains heat nicely…corn is 8' high, more vigorous than ever before…I've been collecting seaweed, last week got leafy parts of bull kelp, dried it, and it's really salty and flavorful…I'm a couple of years ahead on firewood…we end up with a lot of pallets from book shipments, and lately they're all heat treated ("HT" stamped on them), meaning they haven't been insecticided, so I cut them up with chainsaw, good addition to oak and euc picked up on road…we just added a new hoop greenhouse from Farmtek…"EZ Build Gro Cold Frame," very simple, quick to put up, metal hoops (a la quonset shape), 10' wide x 14' long x 7' high, UV stabilized flexible woven poly fabric, lasts 10 years…it's really warm, even on overcast days…tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers…